Africa’s modern roof design

Consider Giant Engineering of Pretoria, South Africa the go-to for your complex roof trussing needs.

Specialists in prefabricated roof trusses, Giant Engineering provides this expertise to the building industry whereby the company’s reputation “if you want to get something done right, send it to Giant Engineering”, truly reigns supreme.

Since its establishment as a major player in the South African roofing industry, Giant Engineering has lived by its modest mission of “quality through integrity,” in best serving the company’s growing, diversifying clientele. Opening its doors in 1984, the company is now operated by its founder’s son, Edward Curry. This month, The African Business Journal spoke with Giant Engineering in highlighting the company’s vision, past projects, and goals toward the future.

Leading with a vision

Six years following its initiation, in 1990, Giant Engineering repositioned itself in dealing with structural steel, engineering, and manufacturing, emerging as the one of the largest steel users in this particular sector in South African. In 2004, the company moved to provide its industry with prefabricated timber roof trusses, offering a complete turnkey solution.

“From the beginning, it has been our goal to be known [in the industry] as someone who will take on a challenge and won’t back down from it,” said Curry, owner of Giant Engineering. “If we get a difficult roof, we will figure it out. Some architects don’t really get what they are asking for. Doing the concrete and the walls is easy, but putting a roof on a certain structure can be difficult and quite challenging.”

Such complex and developed roof designs is something Giant Engineering feels is a growing trend in the South African market, with more clients seeking more unique and modern roof designs and shapes.

“We want to maintain in the industry—not just in South Africa—we’ve also done roofing in Angola and Mozambique. There are a lot of factories [in South Africa] because we want to give everyone a chance because we think it is nice for everyone to make a little bit of money,” Curry said. “We don’t want to have a monopoly.”

Today, Giant Engineering employs a staff of 23 people, adding that, while it is not a very big company, it keeps things simple by “doing everything right and keeping people educated so everyone knows what they are doing.”

Quite simply, the vision of Giant Engineering is to grow itself in the timber truss industry, by becoming the largest truss manufacturer in South Africa, offering quality roof covering solutions to its clients in the building sector, not to mention  its dedication to its skilled and dynamic staff, all proficient in providing cost effective and practical roof trussing solutions.

Notable projects

In 2003, when Giant Engineering decided to shift toward the timber market, it teamed with Alpine Automation South Africa, one of the biggest software suppliers in the country. Additionally, MiTek Industries South Africa provided Giant Engineering with “state-of-the-art computer software, capable of providing unparalleled graphical outputs and displays. We can produce some of the most detailed layouts, incorporating any customer’s personal requirements to make installation of the Roof Trusses.” This overall company development is something Giant Engineering attributes in part to this software, which Curry described as “much more advanced.”

The software has modernized the designs of Giant Engineering, allowing the company to be involved in many projects in recent years, as Curry highlighted truss designs for a shopping centre, a furniture store—one of the larger projects orchestrated by the company—as well as Giant Engineering’s regular focus on the small residential market.

“These were good projects to do because it helped us a lot with our marketing. It is on the main road in that particular area. While it took four months to erect this roof, everyone could see what was happening,” Curry said. “The office building and shopping centre projects display very nice next to a residential area so it helps a lot.”

At that time, Giant Engineering was involved in a roofing restoration project in Victoria, Gauteng, with a hospital that was originally constructed in 1954.

According to Curry, “The brick work was all still there, but the roof and half of the building had burned down. We had to match the trusses with what was done [in 1954], and the timber they used back then was much bigger [than the timber they are using now], the same strength, but bigger, so it was quite a challenge to match that roof.

“We couldn’t build it the same way, but from the outside, it had to look the same, as if nothing had happened. When someone drives by it when it is restored it has to look like it hadn’t burned down at all. It was a nice project to do for our engineers. It is an interesting design as everything is exposed. You can see the trusses. It is very neatly done and you can really see the special attention.”

The fact that Giant Engineering was able to accomplish a project to such an extent of work is truly an acclaim to its superior work.

“We supply the roof, erect it, and then we are done. We do something no one else can do, so this is something to be proud of,” Curry added. “Mostly we are in the residential market, but obviously sometimes they want something special done. Our expertise is in doing something out of the ordinary.”

www.gianteng.co.za

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